


Through the Quarantine

by cloudninedreamer



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Body Horror, Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Quarantale, Selectively Mute Frisk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-05 21:35:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5391239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudninedreamer/pseuds/cloudninedreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Long ago, humans lived freely upon the earth. They ruled over their lands peacefully and happily.</i>
</p><p>  <i>One day, the Plague broke out and spread. At first, the healthy tended to the sick, and because of this, the Plague spread further and further.</i></p><p>  <i>The Plague’s effects were soon revealed: those who were sick changed, and turned into horrible monsters of all kinds.</i></p><p>  <i>Fearful for their lives, the well left the sick, banding together with their technology to form Safe Zones protected with a barrier impassable to the monsters.</i></p><p>  <i>But several years later, in the year 251X…</i></p><p>  <i>A lone child went out into the Quarantine.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Quarantined

It was so… strange. The Quarantine was so empty, mostly large plains of loose dirt with the occasional patch of plants and every so often a building. Nothing like the crowded, pristine life in the Safe Zones. And there was no one in sight. Other people had told stories of monsters: creatures that had lost their humanity from disease and mutation, but there were none in sight.

Frisk was alone.

They hadn’t even thought to bring much with them, leaving Frisk with just the clothes on their back. Or rather, the hazmat suit on their back. Frisk had seen pictures of them while in the Safe Zone, and they were cool, Frisk had wanted one. But now they weren’t sure what use it was.

They wandered aimlessly, looking at their surroundings. Sometimes they’d see random cars, some flying, some not. They wondered if monsters used cars. Unlikely, guessing by the state most of the cars were in.

They weren’t sure how long they walked, how far away, when a voice broke them out of their reverie. “Howdy!”

Frisk froze. After it being quiet for so long, they had nearly expected no one to be around. They whipped their head around, looking for the source of the voice.

“Down here!” The ever-cheerful voice said, and Frisk looked down… to see a tiny yellow flower. A monster?

“I see the look on your face. Don’t worry! You humans have had it wrong! We don’t want to hurt you! I’m Flowey. Flowey the Flower! It’s nice to meet you!”

Frisk was still wary.

“Anyway, I saw you looking so lost and confused. You’re new to the Quarantine, aren’t you? I suppose I should tell you how things work around here, huh?” Flowey smiled and continued. “Here, we don’t kill or attack others. Instead, we spread love! And love is spread through… friendliness pellets!”

Small tiny pellets—seeds, maybe—surrounded Flowey. “Do you want some love? Catch as many pellets as you can!” Frisk reached out to grab a handful and instantly felt a bolt of pain shoot through their hand. They collapsed, groaning.

Flowey’s face changed to a smirk. “You idiot!” He exclaimed. “Out here, it’s kill or be killed!” And more seeds surrounded Frisk and began closing in, just to be stopped as a wall of fire shot from nowhere towards Flowey. The seeds fell at once, Flowey ducking under the ground and popping back up after the fire passed.

“Do not harm this child!” A woman’s voice yelled, more fire shooting towards Flowey. He ducked back under the ground, not popping back up. He was gone.

And that left Frisk with this newcomer. She was clearly a monster. She was covered with white fur and small horns protruded from her forehead. She was wearing a blouse and skirt, both of which were torn and dirty and grimy, but her feet were bare. In her hands was a large flamethrower that she then slung over her shoulder with Flowey gone. Then she turned to Frisk, offering them a hand.

“It’s okay, little one. The beast is gone.” Frisk looked away from her, holding their injured hand to their chest. The monster knelt down. “Do not be afraid, my child. My name is Toriel. I won’t harm you.” She then noticed Frisk’s hand. “Did it hurt you?” Frisk painfully nodded. It shouldn’t be sensible to trust a stranger after just being attacked by someone claiming to help, but the pain was so much…

Toriel gently took Frisk’s hand, checking the damage. “Poisoned,” she said. “Not much of a surprise. Hold on. I have an antidote here…” She reached into her bag, pulling out a small vile of brown liquid along with bandages. “Hold still. It may sting at first, but it’ll take away the pain.” And she poured the liquid onto Frisk’s hand. It stung _really_ bad and Frisk had to bite back a yell of pain, but it soon faded away, leaving a cooling sensation on their palm.

Once that was done, Toriel wrapped their hand with the bandages before sitting back to smile at her handiwork. “That should heal very fast. You’re lucky the poison hadn’t reached your heart yet.” Toriel stood up, and gently helped Frisk to their feet as well.

“It’s been quite a while since a human has come to the Quarantine,” she said. “But don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. Follow me. We need to find shelter for the night.”

Seriously. What was Frisk doing, following a random stranger—a _monster_ , at that—with a giant flamethrower who could easily roast Frisk and eat them for dinner? But at the same time, she’d helped them. She’d bandaged their hand and saved them from Flowey in the first place. So Frisk followed Toriel through the desolate field.

They soon stopped at an abandoned house. The metal was rusted, the wood was creaky, but it was four walls and a roof. It’d protect them from the elements. Toriel ushered Frisk inside and glanced around. “It looks safe, but stay close. I need to make sure there aren’t any beasts.”

Ten minutes of thoroughly checking the house later, Toriel was satisfied enough to set down her flamethrower by the door. “I’m going to see if the oven has power. Maybe we’ll be able to have something warm for dinner. Why don’t you go exploring? Maybe there are some interesting books or toys?”

Toriel walked to the kitchen, so Frisk decided to look around. They’d already seen most of the house from when Toriel searched it to make sure no… “beasts” were around, so Frisk first went upstairs to where the bedroom was.

There was a bookshelf, but the books were tattered and yellowed and dusty. The trinkets and knick-knacks were broken and chipped; not much there that interested Frisk. They continued searching around, through the empty drawers of the vanity, looking at the ragged remains of clothes in the closet… nothing. Their search was fruitless.

They went back downstairs to go see Toriel. Just as they stepped foot in the kitchen, they saw a giant burst of flame surround the pot on the stove.

Toriel noticed them and released the trigger of her flamethrower. “Oh, my child. I didn’t see you. The stove didn’t have power so I was cooking it the old-fashioned way.”

With fire _was_ “old-fashioned,” but Frisk was pretty sure using a flamethrower didn’t quite fit the bill.

“It’ll be ready in just ten more seconds. Stand back.” After the ten seconds passed, Toriel again set her flamethrower down and started putting… soup… in two bowls. She set them on the floor in what was probably the living room and gestured for Frisk to sit and eat.

“Snail soup. I know it’s not what you humans are used to, but it’s better than nothing, right?”

Frisk didn’t bother arguing, eating it up pretty fast. They were hungry. They probably would’ve eaten grass if that’s what Toriel had set on their plate.

“So, my child. I noticed that you don’t seem to talk… Would you be comfortable writing? I would like to ask you some questions.”

Frisk nodded, so Toriel pulled a notebook and pen from her bag and handed it to them. “I suppose first I’d like to ask your name.”

Frisk nodded and scribbled their name in the book, showing Toriel. “Frisk. Alright.”

They talked a bit about where Frisk had come from. Frisk had described the tall buildings, the clean air, all the people… They frowned slightly and scribbled a question. _“When can I go home?”_

Toriel looked shocked. “What? But this _is_ your home. I know I don’t have much… and that I’m a… monster, but I promise you I can give you the best life possible.”

 _“I want to go back,”_ Frisk wrote.

“My child, you can’t leave the Quarantine.” Frisk moved to write more, but Toriel continued, “And it’s not my choice. It’s the humans’. If you approach a Safe Zone, they will kill you. They’ll shoot you down like a dog in a ditch. I’m sorry, Frisk. But you can’t leave.”

Frisk let it go, and the rest of dinner was mostly silent. Not long later, Toriel wrapped Frisk up in a blanket she’d found and tucked them in to sleep on the couch while she went upstairs to the bedroom. She apologized saying that the couch would be too small for her. Frisk didn’t mind. It would make their plan easier.

An hour or two passed. Frisk slowly climbed off the couch, opened the front door, and escaped, walking back in the direction they’d came. It was cold, and the wind blew right through all the clothing they were wearing. With a shudder, Frisk wrapped their arms around themself and continued forward.

They weren’t sure how long they walked. They had enough trouble telling time during the day with a clock, so figuring it out at night, with nothing but the moon to give them a hint was basically impossible.

They hadn’t been paying much attention to their surroundings—not that they could really see much in the dark—until they heard something. A footstep, heavy and loud. Frisk froze in place, looking around for the source of the sound. More footsteps in a hurried gait. Louder and louder, coming right for Frisk.

Frisk instantly turned and started running as fast as they could. The wind blew into their face, stinging, but Frisk was only focused on trying to escape. _Toriel!_ They cried out in their head. _I… I should have stayed… I…_ they halted in their tracks because even with the darkness, they saw the outline of a creature standing there, bounding up towards them.

They looked around frantically. Behind them was a creature, in front was a creature, to each side was a creature. They were trapped. They fell to their knees, helpless, afraid.

And then a burst of fire shot out, illuminating the area and startling the creature it was headed towards. It yipped and turned on its heels, running off into the night. The other creatures turned towards the source, completely ignoring Frisk, growling at the newcomer.

More fire. “Frisk! Move!” Toriel! Frisk instantly stood up, running away from the creatures as pretty quickly, each and every one of them were scared enough by the fire coming right at them to turn tail and run off, barking and howling all the way.

“Frisk!” Toriel then called. They looked up to see her, her flamethrower slung back over her shoulder and holding a lantern. “Where are you? Come over here!” Frisk hurried over to her, and relief flushed over her face. “Frisk!”

She looked them over briefly. “Are you hurt?” Frisk shook their head and Toriel sighed.

The relief was gone pretty quickly. Her face turned stern and she all but glared down at Frisk. “Frisk,” Frisk started at the tone of her voice, “do you understand the danger you just put yourself in?! If I had arrived one minute later, _one minute,_ you’d be dead! What were you even thinking, leaving in the dead of night, in the cold?!”

Frisk let out a choked sob, and most of Toriel’s anger melted away in an instant. “I just want to go home,” Frisk said in between sobs.

Toriel instantly dropped to her knees, and Frisk ran into her arms. “I’m scared…” Frisk continued. “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

Toriel held them close. “Shh, shh, little one. You’re safe. You don’t have to worry. I will protect you.”

“Mom…” Frisk’s voice was quiet enough they wondered if Toriel could hear.

“It’s okay, my child,” Toriel stood up, carrying Frisk in her arms. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. I promise. I will keep you safe.” She started walking back to the house.

Frisk said nothing more, snuggling closer into Toriel’s arms, enjoying the warmth of their fur.

They awoke back in the house, the sound of a flamethrower going off in the kitchen, and honestly, they’d never been happier.


	2. Puzzles and Volleyball

After breakfast, Toriel did another search of the house for anything worth taking with her. “I’m not going to be going too far, my child,” she said. “I’ll be back before sunset.”

Frisk pulled out their notebook and wrote, _“Why can’t I come too?”_

Toriel sighed lightly, biting her lip. “It’s… complicated. It’s just safer for you to stay here. Trading markets aren’t necessarily the safest places. Especially for children. But I’m sure you can entertain yourself here! There are plenty of books—” which Frisk had inspected, and didn’t want to read any “—to read. You’ll be okay.” She hugged Frisk then. “Stay safe, Frisk.”

And then she was out the door, leaving Frisk alone in the house. They looked around first, finding a few more pens and pencils, plus a backpack shoved in the back of a random closet. Good. One for their stuff. They put their notebook and pens in it. They looked at the bookshelf again. None of the books caught their eye; this bookshelf really _was_ a lost cause. They kept exploring, played games of hide-and-seek by theirself. (again, boring.)

They doodled in their notebook, explored every inch and cranny of the house. Basically, they tried. They tried to entertain themself, listen to Toriel’s advice. Honestly, at first they didn’t want to go anywhere. After the night before, the Quarantine seemed like a terrifying place. But honestly, nearly dying would be more fun than spending another minute in the empty house.

So Frisk left. They were _really_ bad at following directions, they realized. Frisk knew that it was going to be hot—it wasn’t like the house had any sort of air conditioning, because of course not—but outside, with the sun beating directly down on them, it seemed so much hotter. Maybe there was some kind of pool nearby; that’d be fun.

Frisk wandered around, first staying within sight of the house. But the most interesting thing they found in that area was a cactus. So interesting. So Frisk kept wandering out, further and further until they couldn’t even see where the house was. But they were pretty sure about where it was.

But after enough wandering, even that got boring. So they stopped in the shade of a rock and sat down. They pulled out their notebook and began doodling the cactus from earlier. It was actually coming out pretty well; you could tell it was a cactus, and it didn’t look bad for drawing from memory.

Frisk was so invested in their drawing, they didn’t notice another presence until they heard, “human.”

They jumped and turned their head to see… a person? It was hard to tell with the sun glaring right in their face. Frisk stood up, facing the newcomer.

“what’s a kid doing all alone?” The newcomer asked, stepping forward a bit, and Frisk froze up. It wasn’t a human. The person standing in front of them was literally all bones, a skeleton. “what? don’t you know how to greet a new pal? shake my hand,” The skeleton held out his hand, and Frisk hesitantly shook it just to hear a loud noise.

The skeleton laughed. “The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It’s always funny.” He stuck a hand into his jacket pocket—what was he doing, wearing a jacket in the middle of a hot wasteland? “anyway, the name’s sans.” Frisk just gripped their notebook in response.

“well, like I asked earlier, what’s a little kid doing all alone? don’t you know there are monsters around looking for humans?” Sans must’ve read the look on Frisk’s face, because he continued. “yep. almost every monster in the quarantine is on the lookout to capture humans. including me, technically, but… i don’t really want to capture anybody.”

Frisk let out a breath they didn’t realize they’d been holding. They didn’t fully let down their guard, of course, but… well, to be honest, Frisk tended to trust people even if it didn’t make logical sense.

“now my brother,” Sans continued, “papyrus… he’s a human-hunting fanatic.” Sans looked past Frisk and said, “hey, that’s him over there. Don’t worry. I got an idea. Follow me.” Frisk quickly complied and followed Sans closer to where… Papyrus… was.

Sans stopped and pointed to the side. “Behind that conveniently-shaped lamp.” Frisk eyed the lamp as they hurried over. It was… their exact shape. Once they were fully hidden, they heard Sans say, “’sup, bro?”

They quickly glanced over to see another skeleton, considerably taller than both Sans and Frisk and wearing some sort of… costume? The main thing Frisk could make out was a bright red cape, and they noticed the fact that both skeletons’ clothes were too big for them, hanging loosely on their bones.

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S ‘SUP,’ BROTHER!” Frisk was startled from their thoughts at the sound of Papyrus’ voice. With how calm and fairly quiet Sans spoke, Frisk had expected something similar for Papyrus. Not almost yelling. But that’s what it was.

“YOU’VE DONE NEARLY NOTHING FOR EIGHT DAYS! WHAT IF A HUMAN WERE TO COME THROUGH HERE? WE’D NEED TO BE READY AND WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING OUT HERE?”

“staring at this lamp. it’s really cool.”

“SANS! WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN WERE TO COME OUT HERE? WE NEED TO BE READY! NO MORE SLACKING OFF!”

“hey,” Sans said, sounding hurt. “I’ve gotten a ton of work done today. A skele-ton.” He turned toward Frisk and winked and Frisk covered their mouth in an attempt to hide their laughter.

“SANS!” Papyrus chided.

Frisk didn’t pay attention to much more of the conversation, preoccupied with trying not to laugh. Of course, Sans was helping so much by cracking a few more jokes and even Papyrus jumped onto the bandwagon, cracking one or two as if he knew Frisk was right there. Luckily, he was soon gone.

“okay, you can come out now,” Sans said, and Frisk instantly removed their hands, giggling almost uncontrollably and snorting a few times for good measure.

“you really like my jokes, kid?” Frisk nodded as they caught their breath. “well… do you like puzzles?” Frisk looked up, confused, but nodded. “see, my brother has been making puzzles in order to stop and trap humans, but since none have shown up in… ages, none of them have been used, so… it’d be pretty cool if you’d go solve some.”

Frisk pulled out their notebook. _“But if he’s trying to capture humans, then won’t I be in danger?”_

Sans waved it off. “no, trust me, kid. he’s not dangerous. even if he tries to be. besides, i’ll be keeping an eye socket out for you. just go the way he went. it’s not far.”

Frisk looked that way, and then looked back to talk to Sans again, but he was already gone. Well, it would solve their boredom problem. So they started walking towards the puzzles and the skeleton brothers.

Somehow, as Frisk had expected, Sans had somehow made it past Frisk all the way to where Papyrus was, on the other side of a… field?

Papyrus was talking, “SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE…” And then he noticed Frisk. “SANS. THERE’S A HUMAN.”

“looks like it.”

“AND THEY’VE WALKED RIGHT INTO MY TRAP WITHOUT ME HAVING TO LEAD THEM!” He cleared his throat. “HUMAN! BE PREPARED FOR YOUR DOOM! YOU WILL FAIL AT THESE PUZZLES! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! DELIVER YOU TO UNDYNE, WHO WILL TAKE YOU…

“UM,” He shrugged. “I’M NOT SURE WHAT’LL HAPPEN AFTER THAT. NONETHELESS! STEP FORWARD IF YOU DARE! FOR THIS IS THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE! TOUCH THE WALLS, AND THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A ZAP!” Papyrus pulled a blue orb out from his… cape? “SOUND LIKE FUN? BECAUSE YOU WON’T HAVE ANY.” Papyrus grinned maniacally before saying, “GO AHEAD.”

And Sans had said that these puzzles wouldn’t be dangerous. Oh well. Bracing themself, Frisk stepped forward, almost instantly bumping into a wall. They heard the crackle of electricity, a yelp from Papyrus, and a chuckle from Sans and looked up to see the orb had zapped its holder.

“uh, pap?” Sans said. “I think the human needs to hold the orb.”

“OH. OKAY!” Papyrus started walking forward, and Frisk then noticed that the dirt was very loose, perfect for making footprints in a specific pattern… such as the solution as Papyrus walked right up to Frisk. “PLEASE HOLD THIS,” he said, handing them the orb and walking back through the maze. Frisk looked up at Sans, who winked, and then they walked through the maze, following Papyrus’ steps.

Papyrus had been shocked, to say the least. After a bit of talking about how the next puzzle wouldn’t be so difficult, something blue lit up from his wrists and he suddenly flew backwards and away.

Frisk instantly walked up to Sans. _“What did he just do?”_

“huh? oh, these.” Sans held out his hands. At first glance, it looked like he was wearing gloves, but at a closer look, gauntlets would be a better term. They were metal, clean and polished unlike everything else Sans was wearing, with its power source embedded in the wrists, bright blue with the appearance of electricity.

“they’re gravity gauntlets,” Sans explained. “they allow the wearer to change forces on a given object of our choice. pap likes his dramatic exits.” Frisk giggled and nodded in agreement.

“do you see that costume he's wearing?” Sans continued. “we made it together. it was for a... party...” All of a sudden, Sans went silent, deep in thought. Frisk tapped his shoulder and he sharply inhaled and blinked before speaking again. “anyways, you're doing great, kid. papyrus is really having fun.”

Frisk pulled out their notebook. _“Are you okay? You spaced out for a bit.”_

“yeah. don’t worry about me. i’m fine. just… remembered a few things. but that doesn’t matter. you should keep going. after all, next is my puzzle. and it’s gonna be pretty good.” And with a wink, Sans walked off.

Frisk didn’t really know what else to do but continue on. They arrived in a small valley of sorts with a bunch of grass in the center of dirt that had a piece of paper on it.

“NOW, HUMAN,” Papyrus said, “PREPARE TO—” He then seemed to realize what Frisk already had. “SANS. WHERE’S THE PUZZLE?”

“right there. on the ground. trust me. they’re gonna be stumped.” Frisk walked forward and picked up the paper to find a word search. They put it in their backpack, but otherwise continued on.

“SANS! THAT DIDN’T DO ANYTHING! AND NOW WE’RE ALL OUT OF PUZZLES!”

“whoops. so we are.”

“NOW NOT ONLY ARE WE NOT GOING TO CAPTURE THE HUMAN,” Papyrus sighed, “BUT NOW WE HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO!”

They were as bored as Frisk was? Frisk tapped Papyrus’ shoulder, showing him a freshly-written, _“I don’t have anything else to do either. Maybe we could do something together?”_

“WELL, THAT’D BE FUN, HUMAN, BUT DON’T YOU ONLY PLAY WITH FRIENDS?”

_“Then let’s be friends. And my name’s Frisk.”_

“FRISK… AS MY FRIEND?! I ACCEPT! YOU’RE ONLY JUST TOO DESPERATE TO BE FRIENDS WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS! HOW COULD I DENY YOUR PLEA? AND SANS AGREES.”

“sure.”

“BUT WHAT DO WE PLAY?”

There was silence for about five seconds before Sans said, “hey, frisk, take your backpack off and set it down.” They did, slightly wary. As soon as they did, they felt themself be lifted. They glanced down to see Sans’ gauntlet glowing blue.

“frisk volleyball!” Sans yelled, and suddenly Frisk was launched toward Papyrus, who quickly raised his own hand, stopping Frisk’s movement.

“SANS!” He scolded. “FRISK IS A HUMAN! NOT A ROCK! THEY COULD BE HURT SO EASILY—”

“relax, pap. We’re careful. and look, the kid’s having fun.”

Frisk realized they were smiling, and Papyrus looked as well. “FRISK, ARE YOU OKAY WITH THIS?” Frisk nodded vigorously and Papyrus rolled his shoulders a bit before calling, “FRISK VOLLEYBALL!” And then Frisk was flying towards Sans.

It went on for a while. As Frisk approached one, he would catch them with his magic and toss him back, leaving Frisk a giggling mess.

And it all went on until they heard, “My child!”

Sans and Papyrus froze, Frisk still suspended in mid-air, held by Sans. He lowered them slowly at the sight of Toriel, glaring, flamethrower in hand.

Once Frisk was on the ground, though, they ran to Toriel. “Mom!”

“Frisk.” Toriel hugged them. “You weren’t at the house.”

“I was bored,” Frisk admitted. “But I made friends!”

“Friends?”

Frisk nodded and pointed at each brother. “Sans and Papyrus.” Toriel glanced between the two, who waved sheepishly. “We played Frisk Volleyball and it was fun.”

Toriel said nothing to them a moment, murmuring to herself. “Well, two powerful monsters would be helpful…” She then called to them. “Would you want to come with us? We have a home and food…”

“FOOD?” Papyrus instantly ran towards Frisk and Toriel, and with a smile, Sans followed behind. “I WOULD LOVE TO COME! AND I’LL HELPIN ANY WAY!”

“Keeping Frisk from wandering into danger is a high priority,” Toriel said.

“CONSIDER IT DONE!” They all started walking together, when Papyrus grabbed Frisk and set them on his shoulders. “THERE! THE HUMAN WON’T GET LOST NOW!”

Frisk didn’t mind. They just enjoyed the ride in the company of their new friends.


	3. During the Plague

It was a lot less boring around the house with two more people in it. Especially since those two were Sans and Papyrus. Toriel had taken quite the liking to the brothers as well. Papyrus was all too eager to help in the kitchen (although he was a bit wary about her use of flamethrowers) and it turns out Toriel was as much into puns as Sans was, often trading jokes to Papyrus’ dismay.

The times when Toriel would have to go out to the market, Sans and Papyrus would focus their efforts on entertaining Frisk, which usually ended up with the three of them playing Frisk Volleyball. And during these times, Frisk learned a lot of things about them.

Firstly, there was an actual point to the game instead of just tossing Frisk back and forth. Each skeleton drew a line two feet behind them and tried to keep Frisk from crossing their line.

Then there were their fighting styles. And Frisk found that part out in the middle of a game of Frisk Volleyball.

Sans heard the growl first. “pap!”

“WHAT?” Sans quickly caught Frisk, lowering them into Papyrus’ arms just as a beast walked into view. Papyrus set Frisk down. “STAY HERE, HUMAN. WE’LL HANDLE THIS.” And he hurried over to his brother’s side.

Frisk tried to get a good look at the beast. It looked… canine, with large fangs hanging from its jaws, drool dripping down. It growled, staring at the three with beady yellow eyes.

Sans removed his left hand from his jacket pocket and the gauntlet started glowing blue. And he raised his arm and the beast was thrown into the air.

Papyrus followed his brother’s lead and lowered his hands, and the beast slammed into the ground, whining and cowering. Papyrus relaxed and turned back to Frisk. “YOU DOING OKAY, HUMAN?”

Frisk nodded and walked up to join the brothers.

“papyrus! frisk! look out!”

The two whirled around to see the beast up and charging at them, just to be blasted by… a blue laser beam? Frisk turned their attention to see Sans holding a laser gun, glaring at the beast. Papyrus raised his hand again, lifting it off the ground before throwing it as far as he could.

“you two okay?” Sans asked. Frisk nodded, pointing at the gun in Sans’ hand. “huh? oh, it’s for emergencies, kiddo.”

“SANS IS QUITE THE SHARPSHOOTER,” Papyrus added. “WHEN HE HAS TO. HE’S TOO LAZY TO DO IT ALL THE TIME.”

“it’s not necessary all the time,” Sans retorted, returning the gun to his pocket.

“I DON’T REALLY THINK IT WAS EVEN NECESSARY _THIS_ TIME.”

“well, sometimes you can never be too careful. c’mon. i think we scared it off, but we should go back to the house just to be safe.”

They arrived back at an empty house. Papyrus decided to take the opportunity to clean upstairs, dusting and sweeping (assuming he’d even find any cleaning supplies.) Frisk pulled out their notebook and lay down on the floor in the living room to draw. Sans was all too happy to sit and doze on the couch.

Other than the sounds of Papyrus moving about upstairs, it was quiet, and for a while, Frisk just rested in the silence.

Then they spoke up. “Hey, Sans?” They asked from their spot on the floor.

Sans started slightly before moving from the couch to sit beside Frisk. “what’s up, frisk? you uh… you’ve never talked to me before.”

Frisk shrugged. “We’re friends. And not outside.” And as if that explained everything, they continued, “You and Papyrus are monsters, right?”

“Monsters?” Sans asked dramatically. “Ouch. I didn’t think we were _that_ bad.” Frisk just shot him a look. “Okay, okay. Yes, we’re monsters.”

“So that means, you got the Plague, right?”

“if you’re worried about catching it yourself, that thing died out years ago. you really don’t even need that hazmat suit.”

Frisk shrugged. “I was going to ask what it was like.”

That caught Sans off guard. “what?”

“The Plague. Back when it was a thing. What it was like before you caught it and… during.”

Sans didn’t say anything. Frisk was worried they’d offended him or something, but then realized that Sans wasn’t even breathing or blinking, just staring out at the wall blankly. “Sans?” They asked. “Sans?”

“during the Plague…” Sans muttered almost inaudibly.

* * *

The Plague had come out of nowhere, striking down random people. The first was a child. Then his two parents. Then the doctor who’d attempted to treat them, and then it just spiraled from there. At first it hadn’t seemed terrible, but then the news reported that the child… changed.

The Plague mutated them. Scientists were saying to not worry, but to avoid any and all contact with the sick.

It grew harder for Sans and Papyrus to refrain from contact. First one of their neighbors, Daron, got sick. And then his younger brother. And then Amos and Theresa, the young couple just across the street. And then the half-blind man who lived just beside them.

They all left after they mutated, most likely sticking all together. Sans didn’t know for sure. He didn’t really want to find out. He was just focused on his brother and making sure he was happy.

And that included helping him make a costume for some silly party thrown by one of Papyrus’ friends. Sans really wasn’t much for parties, but again, it was for Papyrus’ sake and not his own, so he did what he was asked of with a smile. And that included even going to said party and sitting in the corner with a drink watching the rest of the activities.

At least Papyrus was enjoying himself. Mostly. At first, anyway, he was excited, talking to everyone he could find, showing them all his costume, crediting Sans and pointing him out (Sans just smiled and waved at everyone who looked.)

An hour or two passed perfectly fine. Music pounded out of speakers, Sans chilled, and Papyrus flitted around like a hummingbird. Then he started running out of steam. It was obvious, at least to Sans, so he exited his corner and approached his brother.

“hey, papyrus?” He said, yelling over the music. “are you okay?”

“HM? OH, BROTHER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER HERE? USUALLY YOU SULK IN THE CORNER ALL BY YOURSELF.”

“it’s not sulki—never mind. i was just watching you and you seem tired. are you okay?”

“TIRED, ME? NEVER. I’M PERFECTLY FINE.” And that’s when Papyrus winced slightly. He shook his hand a bit and then quickly stopped when he noticed Sans watching. “A LITTLE STIFF IS ALL. PROBABLY FROM RUNNING ONE HUNDRED LAPS THIS MORNING. NO BIG DEAL.”

“you sure? you really seem run down.”

“YOU JUST WANT OUT OF THIS PARTY,” Papyrus accused, but not angrily.

“well, maybe i do, but that’s not the point. papyrus, be honest here. are you sure you’re okay?”

Papyrus was quiet for a moment before finally slowly shaking his head. “BUT I CAN’T LEAVE NOW. WE PUT ALL THIS WORK INTO THIS COSTUME AND EVERYONE WOULD BE SO UPSET.”

“pap, it’s okay. If you’re not feeling well, we should go home.”

Papyrus didn’t respond.

“do you want to use me as an excuse? that you have to leave because i’m forcing you to?” Papyrus nodded. “alright. go ahead. they’re _your_ friends anyway.”

Papyrus said goodbye to some specific friends, including the host, before meeting Sans by the door to go.

Papyrus’ smile dropped the moment they were out the door. “I don’t feel well at all,” he admitted.

Sans helped his brother to the car. “don’t worry. we’ll get you home and to your bed. i’m sure it’ll pass.

Getting Papyrus out of the car and into the house was another story altogether. Sans had almost forgotten how big his “little” brother had gotten. But soon, they got to the front door.

“hang on, pap,” Sans said as he helped his brother into the house. “don’t puke out here. we’re almost in and the bathroom’s not far.”

“Sans,” Papyrus groaned, “I told you. I’m not nauseous. I’m just…” He coughed. “not well. Sore.” His voice was so quiet. And that’s what had Sans worrying so much. Papyrus was always so alive and full of energy. And he’d been so excited for the party too. Of course he had to get sick.

“sore?”

“Everything aches,” Papyrus complained. “Why does it all hurt, Sans?”

“who knows? oh well. it sucks to get sick, but it’ll probably pass in a day or two.”

“And I’m… so tired…”

“well, we can get you to bed pronto. how’s that sound?”

“Mmm.” Papyrus didn’t even respond with words this time. And Sans wasn’t sure if he could get more worried. There was his answer. He subconsciously clutched his brother closer.

Sans looked up the stairway, leading to their rooms. A daunting task. Sans sighed, reaching for his bag, where he always had his gauntlets. He slipped one on and focused on Papyrus, keeping him upright, and walked up the stairs while pulling on the other before carefully lifting his brother up to the second floor.

“You could’ve just had me sleep on the couch,” Papyrus said weakly.

“nah.” Sans shifted to support Papyrus’ weight, still using his gauntlet to help. “you’re sick. a bed’ll do wonders for your sleep.”

So Sans helped Papyrus to his bed, not even bothering to change his clothes. What was the point? He just needed rest. The most Sans did was remove Papyrus’ boots and tuck him in before Sans returned to his own room for the night.

He awoke to screams. “papyrus?!” Sans bolted out of bed, running to his brother’s bedroom. Papyrus was in his bed, awake, staring at his hands, terrified. Sans flicked on the light. “papyrus! what’s wrong?”

“Sans…” Papyrus whimpered. “My hands…” Sans took a closer look. And blinked. Were they… grayish? “It hurts…” Papyrus was crying. “Sans…” And then, just as the two were watching, the tip of Papyrus’ pointer finger just… fell off.

Okay, that wasn’t really accurate. But there wasn’t much of a way to explain it. Skin and muscle fell off onto the sheets with a plop, staining them with red. Sans stared at it in horror before looking back at Papyrus’ hand. The area where the flesh had been was now just bone. And bright red with blood.

“oh god! papyrus! what—?”

“DON’T TOUCH IT!” Papyrus shrank back, as far away as he could from Sans.

“p-papyrus?”

“I… I must…”

“what is it?”

“Sans, it must be the Plague!”

“what?” Sans’ heart stopped. Feeling ill, changing… it fit, but… “but where could you have--?”

“…I was with Amos and Theresa a day or two before they got sick, but I thought…”

Sans swallowed. “does it still hurt?”

Papyrus nodded. “All over. It feels like it’s on fire.” He took a ragged breath before adding, “except my finger.”

“then it’s probably all going to fall off.” Sans forced a smile. “looks like you get to see how being a skeleton is, huh?” Papyrus didn’t say anything, so Sans continued, “let me go get some painkillers. it’s gonna be okay.”

“Sans, no! You have to go!” Papyrus protested. “If you stay… you’ll get sick too!”

“i’m not leaving you all alone here, papyrus,” Sans said firmly. “besides, i probably already caught it.”

“But Sans—”

“Papyrus. I’m not leaving you.” Any more protests Papyrus had were silenced by Sans’ tone. Sans let up. “alright. I’ll be right back,” he said, tousling Papyrus’ hair affectionately. “hang tight.”

Sans was definitely regretting it a few days later when he was in his bed, reeling in pain from all his flesh rotting off.

* * *

“Sans?” Frisk asked. “Are you okay?”

Sans blinked once. Twice. “oh. kid.” He smiled, but it was clearly forced. “yeah. i’m fine. just remembering that whole… thing. anyway, it’s really not that big of a deal. nothing interesting happened so really nothing to tell.”

Frisk just looked at him incredulously. That was such an obvious lie, but who was Frisk to push it if Sans didn’t want to say. So they just slowly nodded, and left to go talk to Papyrus.

Once Frisk was gone, Sans relaxed, scratching the back of his skull. “yeah. not that big of a deal.”

And Toriel arrived home.


	4. A Trip

The next day, Frisk awoke to Toriel packing up on the other side of the living room. They sat up and yawned, catching her attention.

She turned around. “Good morning, Frisk. Did I wake you?”

Frisk nodded, but slid off the couch. They weren’t going to be able to get back to sleep. Toriel seemed to think similarly. “Just as well,” She said. “It’s about time for us to head out.”

Head out? Frisk's notebook was in their bag which was right beside Toriel's, so they hoped the look on their face was confused enough to prompt an explanation.

They were right. “Well you see, you really can’t stay in one place for too long in the Quarantine. Beasts will find you and… well, we’ve spent enough time in this house and there aren’t really enough beds for everyone. We need to find someplace else.”

It made sense. “Ms. Toriel,” a familiar but strangely quiet voice said. “I've gathered my and my brother's things.”

Then Papyrus walked into the room and all quietness was gone. “HUMAN!” Frisk jumped slightly at the sudden shout and thud of bags. Papyrus was by their side in a heartbeat. Frisk waved a greeting, just to be pulled into a hug by the skeleton.  “GOOD MORNING TO YOU. NOW ALL WE NEED IS TO WAKE MY LAZY BROTHER UP.”

“i’m up, i’m up,” Sans said tiredly from the hallway. “morning, kid.” Frisk waved to him as well.

“Well, it looks like we have everything,” Toriel said, tugging her bag closed. “Frisk, if there is anything else you’d like to bring, you should grab it while I make breakfast.”

Toriel walked into the kitchen, and since Frisk kept everything in their bag already, they followed her in as she began grabbing food. She took out a small bag from the pantry along with a bottle of water before moving towards the stove and noticing Frisk.

“Are you finished already, my child?” Frisk nodded. “Well do you want to help me with breakfast?” Another nod. “Alright. Can you hand me the spoon beside you?”

Frisk passed it over. “I apologize about springing our departure on you. It probably seems really sudden, but yesterday evening I saw a beast really close to here. I had to drive it off. It’ll probably return tonight. Possibly with others. So we need to leave.”

Frisk nodded again. There weren’t many ways to communicate nonverbally, but Toriel seemed to understand them pretty well. “We’re lucky today. I managed to trade a few water bottles to another for these oats,” Toriel said, picking up the bag. “So today, we can have oatmeal.” She poured some oats into a pot and added water before trying the stove again.

Nothing. So Toriel grabbed her flamethrower from its position in the wall. “Stand back, Frisk.” Frisk didn’t need to be told twice, stepping back behind Toriel as she shot flames at the pot. About ten seconds later, she let go of the trigger, declaring the oatmeal ready.

Once breakfast was eaten (and somehow the oatmeal didn’t drip out of the two skeletons. Frisk wondered how that worked.) it was time to head off.

Frisk’s first thought was how hot it was. There weren’t really clocks in the Quarantine—most monsters used the sun to figure out things such as lunchtime and bedtime—but they knew it was fairly early in the day. And yet the sun blared down heat in waves, piercing right through Frisk’s hazmat suit. Toriel seemed to feel the heat as well, but the skeletons brothers just walked through the wasteland, Sans still wearing his blue jacket, without a care in the world about temperature.

Maybe they could ask about it. They opened their mouth, but nothing came out except an exhale. Frisk then huffed in frustration, getting the attention of their companions. Looks like it was a nonverbal day.

“HUMAN?” Papyrus asked them. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

Frisk waved off his concern with a smile. “IF YOU’RE SURE. DO YOU WANT ME TO CARRY YOU?”

“what, so the kid gets rides whenever they feel like it, but i get criticized?” Sans asked.

“FRISK IS A CHILD. YOU ARE AN ADULT.” Papyrus turned back to Frisk, who shook their head. Honestly, the idea of being touched at all was unpleasant enough. Papyrus just nodded and continued walking on, talking with Sans.

“Are you feeling alright, my child?” Toriel asked them after a bit more walking. Frisk shrugged. “Are you feeling tired?”

Frisk pulled their notebook out. _“A bit. How far away are we going?”_

“Well, I’m not been fully sure. Last night I explained to Sans and Papyrus the general area I’d wished to go, and it turns out that’s the area they used to live before the Plague. So that’s where we’re going.”

Frisk nodded. That was why the brothers were leading the way. They stepped closer to the two and tapped Papyrus’ arm. “YES? OH, HUMAN! WHAT IS IT?”

_“How much longer?”_

“UNTIL WE GET TO OUR HOUSE? I DON’T KNOW. SANS? HOW MUCH LONGER?”

Sans shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets while he quickly thought. “it’ll be around sundown when we get there, so…” Sans glanced upward at the sky. The sun was past the middle of noon, but still fairly high up. “four, five hours? that includes a dinner break.”

“WE’D GET THERE SOONER IF WE DIDN’T STOP,” Papyrus pointed out.

“yeah, but think of the kid. kid’s gotta eat.”

That seemed to pacify Papyrus. And a few hours later, they stopped for a dinner. “I made snail pie,” Toriel said before we left, looking at Frisk apologetically. “I know you humans really don’t eat bugs, but… beasts eat pretty much everything other than bugs.”

Frisk took a slice and a huge bite. They’d had her snail soup before, and that was yummy. And so was the pie. They gave Toriel a thumbs-up, to her delight. Sans was also enjoying dinner, eating about half the pie by himself while being told off for it by his brother.

“SANS, HONESTLY. YOU’RE GOING TO GET FAT.”

“pap, it’s fine. have you seen me? i could really use some _meat on my bones._ ”

Papyrus sighed, but the sound was covered up by a loud snort from Toriel. She clamped a hand over her muzzle, but soon burst out into laughter. Sans was beaming and Papyrus was groaning.

Other than that, not much happened at dinner, and soon they packed up their things and continued on their way.

Frisk shivered slightly as they continued walking, and then realized that it was colder. Or were they sure. Another cold shiver passed through them and doubt was pushed from their mind. The temperature had definitely dropped. There was no way that Frisk was imagining it to be fairly cooler all of a sudden. They tapped Sans’ shoulder. “hm? what is it, frisk?”

Frisk scribbled their question. _“Why did it suddenly get colder?”_

“did it?” Sans asked. “well, it _was_ perpetually cold over when we lived here. almost always snowy and icy. maybe it stuck around? we’ll have to explore some tomorrow and see.”

The explanation was enough for Frisk, and sure enough they noticed it continue to drop in temperature as they approached what used to be the brothers’ house.

The house was very old. The outside walls had faded in color under the glare of the sun, and wood was splintered and broken. Sans approached the somehow-intact door, pulling a key from his pocket. “it doesn’t look like anyone’s been here since we left,” he mused, unlocking and opening the door. “the tv’s still here, so i doubt anyone’s been here lately.”

Toriel took Frisk’s hand and led them indoors. Yes, the television was still in the house, along with various paintings and other valuable-looking items. A couch was in the living room, which would likely be Frisk’s sleeping place. From what they could see, a hallway led to the kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Upstairs were three rooms, probably two bedrooms and a bathroom.

“DO YOU THINK MY BED IS STILL HERE, THEN?” Papyrus asked Sans.

Sans shrugged. “probably.”

At that, Papyrus, ran up the stairs, gesturing for Frisk to follow into his bedroom. Inside was a fairly standard room, with a racecar bed, an old computer, and a shelf full of dusty action figures.

“THIS WAS MY ROOM. AND MY BED. I ALWAYS WANTED TO DRIVE, BUT I WAS TOO YOUNG. SO I CRUISED WHEN I SNOOZED.”

Frisk pulled out their notebook. _“How old were you when the Plague happened?”_

Papyrus shifted slightly, uncomfortably. “Fifteen. Just barely too young. Oh well.”

The softness of Papyrus’ voice didn’t go unnoticed, so Frisk changed the subject. _“So this is where you’ll be staying?”_

“PROBABLY. WE SHOULD CHECK THE OTHER ROOMS TO SEE IF THEIR FIT FOR SLEEPING IN.” And with that, Papyrus left the room to go across the way where Sans’ room is. He barely opened the door before a terrible smell hit the two. Papyrus slammed the door in an instant. “SANS!”

“yeah, bro?” Sans called from downstairs.

“DID YOU NOT TAKE CARE OF YOUR SHEETS BEFORE WE LEFT?”

“my sheets?” Sans and Toriel were suddenly right behind them. “what’s wrong with them?”

Papyrus just sighed and opened the door. Toriel pushed Frisk behind her, blocking any view of the room as the smell hit them again.

“oh,” Sans said. “yeah. that. that is definitely the smell of decaying flesh. my bad. here, i got it.” And with a blue glow from his gauntlet, a wet ball of sheets floated out of the room, no doubt hiding what remained from Sans’ human body.

“GET IT OUT,” Papyrus groaned. “UGH, IT’S _DRIPPING._ ”

“Frisk,” Toriel said. “Let’s get you downstairs. It’s late and I made up the couch for you to sleep. Sans and Papyrus have things taken care of here.” She led them downstairs and to the couch.

Toriel tucked them in, ran a hand through their hair, kissed the top of their head. “Good night, my child.”

But Frisk caught her hand before she could stand up. “What is it, Frisk? Are you alright?”

They were okay, but with all the beasts… how did they know they were safe? And in such a different location… how were they supposed to sleep?

Frisk hadn’t spoken, nor had they made a sound, but Toriel seemed to understand their thought process. “Would you be able to sleep easier if I sang you a lullaby?” Frisk nodded, and Toriel stood up and went to her bag, picking out something and returning.

“Here. It’s a music box. I received it… before the Plague. But it still works.” She handed it to Frisk. “Would you mind winding it up?”

Frisk did, twisting the knob until it couldn’t be anymore. Then they opened the box. Instantly, a soft tune began to play, but what caught Frisk’s eye was what was inside the box. It was a photograph, obviously old, but in good shape. In it was a human child. A baby, really, asleep, wrapped in a blanket and being cradled by a set of large muscular arms.

Before Frisk could wonder much more about the photograph, Toriel began to sing, quiet and melodious.

“There was a time in years’ past

When we were human too.

An illness then came and passed

And changes came with that.

 

The humans left us behind

To form their homes elsewhere

They were maybe quite unkind

But we’ve grown to not mind.

 

Now we have both of you here.

And hope has sprung anew

Our freedom is very near.

Trusted in you, my dears.

 

Sleep well and see in your dreams

What the future will hold

Because whatever you see

Is how our life will be

 

Close your eyes

Rest your head

Now it’s time to go to bed.

 

Hush, my child.

Do not fear.

When you wake, I will be here.”

 

Frisk was still awake when she finished. She gave them one last hug, wound the music box back up, and left them with the soft melody ringing through the room. They were asleep before it played its last note.


	5. Spear of "Justice"

Frisk went out to play on their own. Again. Although this time they had permission. Granted, it was from Sans, who Frisk had poked awake to ask before the skeleton fell back asleep, but it was still permission.

Besides, Frisk wasn’t going to go very far. Since this was a new house, a new place, it was only natural that they’d want to explore. And they could still see the house. Barely. It was a blob, but it was still obviously their house.

They hadn’t exactly been sure what they were expecting. In general, the Quarantine was the same no matter where you went.  Lots of dirt and dusty wastelands with few plants (except tsundere cacti) and a bright, cloudless sky. The main difference between here and their old home was that it was significantly colder for some reason. Maybe it was higher up?  
And that’s when they realized that while distracted by their thoughts, they had wandered out of view of their house. Great.

Oh well, they could follow their footprints. They looked at the ground just a huge gust blew through, stirring up the dirt and covering any trace of where Frisk had come from. Even better. Their only option was to go back the way they were pretty sure they came. So they started walking.

They heard a voice and quickly ducked behind a cactus. Sans and Papyrus had been out to capture humans, after all…

“Where is Papyrus?” A woman’s voice said in exasperation. “He said he’d be here…”

Frisk peered out slightly. The person was a fish-like monster, blue with gills, bright red hair, and sharp teeth. She knew Papyrus? Frisk couldn’t really recall him talking about anyone other than Sans… no wait, there was one time he mentioned… Undyne? And something about… delivering them to her…

Then it would probably be very wise to keep away from her. Frisk backed up slowly, slowly…

And then bumped their foot against a rock, fell over, and let out a cry.

“Is someone there?” The woman, Undyne, called, hurrying to where Frisk was. “Are you hurt? Do you need—” And then she was in view, staring right at them. “A human?”

Frisk stood up, still backing away as she grabbed a spear that was strapped to her back in one hand, and some kind of device from her belt in the other. That was enough to convince Frisk to start running.

“GET BACK HERE!” Frisk didn’t need to look back to know that Undyne was chasing them. Common sense and fast footsteps were clue enough. And there was no way they’d be able to outrun her. Why did they have to explore today? Why didn’t they stay at the house with Toriel and Papyrus and Sans? Were they wondering where Frisk was? Were they out here looking for them?

Just then, something skidded just to the right of Frisk. It was the device Undyne had. As it hit the ground, it lit up with a large dome-like barrier. The sight of it spurred Frisk on, faster. Their lungs burned, their legs ached, tears had started falling. But they couldn’t stop. They couldn’t—

And then the device was thrown again, right on target. It slid over Frisk’s head, working its magic and forming the dome again. As it hit the ground, Frisk ran into the side, stopping their movement and falling, skidding against the ground. They lay there for a minute, catching their breath, before slowly sitting up.

Undyne finished catching up to them. “Nice try. You see, every human before you has tried that. Every one of them has failed. Did you think you’d be different, escaping from all the monsters? Well, you should be grateful. If I hadn’t caught you, then Asgore would’ve. And no one has ever defeated him.”

Frisk experimentally pushed against the dome. Nothing happened. With no other ideas, they pulled their knees to their chest, and began to cry. It didn’t seem like Undyne noticed. That, or she didn’t care.

“We just need one more human. And then all of us can be saved. Don’t you understand? We’ll finally be free. Safe. Alive. With no worries of ever turning.”

Turning? Now Frisk was really confused. But within a blink, Undyne readied her spear and stepped closer. “Alright now, human. We can do this the easy way or—”

“UNDYNE! I’M SORRY I’M LATE! MY BROTHER KEPT ME!” Frisk jumped at the sudden voice, loud as always, and turned their head to see Papyrus running up, seemingly out of breath. How, though? Skeletons don’t have lungs.

He continued, “I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO REPORT! WHAT ARE YOU—?” He broke off at the sight. It probably wasn’t a pretty one, Frisk trapped beneath the dome, Undyne with her spear out, about to hurt them… or kill them. Frisk wasn’t sure which.

“UNDYNE?” Papyrus asked, his voice suddenly shaky. “W-WHAT’S HAPPENING?”

“Papyrus,” Undyne said, lowering her spear slightly. “Go away.”

“U-UNDYNE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Papyrus asked, stepping closer. “I-IS THAT THE HUMAN? ARE THEY CRYING? WHAT’S—?”

“Papyrus, I said go!”

“IT LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE ABOUT TO HURT THEM!”

“Papyrus…” Undyne growled.

Frisk tried to speak, but all that came out were tears, making it a pointless endeavor. But it still got Papyrus’ attention, even if for a moment.

“UNDYNE, TELL ME. WHAT’S GOING ON?”

“Papyrus, you don’t have to worry about it. Just go.”

Papyrus took a breath. “I’m not a child, Undyne,” he finally said, voice firm. “Why are you attacking Frisk?”

“Frisk? You mean—Papyrus, I told you to _capture_ the human, not _befriend_ them.”

“You never told me they’d be hurt!”

“I’m not going to kill them,” Undyne protested.

“But what about hurting them? You’ve got your _spear_ out!”

Undyne said nothing.

“They’re a _child._ They’re _scared_. Let them go!”

“I _can’t._ We just need one more…” Undyne swallowed. “And then Alphys’ research will be complete. We’re so _close_.”

“But their life?”

“Think of the hundreds! Thousands! Amos, Theresa… Gerson… the sweet bunny lady that baked us sweets… Do they not matter?”

Papyrus went silent. Frisk began to rock slightly. They didn’t fully understand what was going on, but they were still afraid.

“They _do_ matter,” Papyrus finally replied. “But not at the cost of Frisk.”

Undyne seemed to try to decide what to say next. Papyrus waved a hand, a blue glow around it… Something clicked next to Frisk. A button? And then the dome vanished. Frisk was up in a heartbeat, and before Undyne could move, Papyrus moved forward and Frisk ran back to hide behind his legs.

Undyne just glared at Frisk, who was gripping Papyrus’ legs as if they were an anchor. Papyrus leaned down slightly. “Frisk, I need you to let go,” he said. “I need to… I need to be able to protect you.”

Frisk nodded and did so, rocking their upper body in distress. Undyne watched the goings on in disbelief with anger all over her face.

“What about Sans?” Undyne asked. “You know he’s close to the brink. One wrong move, and he’s like them! A beast! What would you do then?”

A beast? Sans? Frisk was still horribly lost, but it was clear Papyrus understood. “I wouldn’t hurt Frisk.” He was standing his ground, arm outstretched to block any attack coming toward Frisk. Undyne glared back, spear held at the ready…

Then, finally, she huffed and strapped it to her back. “You’re my friend, Papyrus. I’m not going to hurt you. But you need to understand. Some things have to be done for the greater good.” She stepped forward and Frisk tensed. But she just glared at them, teeth bared, and grabbed her trap and walked away.

Frisk sniffled, trying to hold back a sob. Papyrus whirled around and dropped to his knees. “Frisk, are you hurt?” His voice was still quiet, and although softer, still had a bit of an edge to it.

Frisk shook their head. It was true, they weren’t hurt. Just confused and terrified. They hadn’t stopped rocking yet. “We should go back to the house,” Papyrus said. “Do you want me to carry you?”

Frisk nodded, reaching their arms out and Papyrus easily lifted them into his arms. “It’s okay, Frisk. You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you.” And Frisk buried their face into his shoulder and bawled. They cried and cried, and through it all, Papyrus kept on, but offered words of encouragement as much as he could.

They arrived home. Sans was on the couch. “hey, pap. did you find the k—” Frisk still hadn’t stopped crying. “Frisk?” Sans asked. “Papyrus, what happened?”

Papyrus sat on the couch beside Sans, and Frisk instantly let go of him in order to latch onto Sans. Sans looked slightly uncomfortable with Frisk crying in his arms, but just asked again, “Pap?”

“Undyne,” Papyrus said, the edge back. “She was… she was going to hurt them. She said it was for the greater good. For…” His voice choked up and he swallowed. “The beasts.”

Right. Beasts. Frisk cleared their throat a bit, getting Sans’ attention. “What is it, Frisk?”

 “What did she mean?” They asked. “About the beasts. Do monsters… are you like a beast? And why are you almost one?”

Sans froze up. “She said that…?” He sighed. “Look, kid. It’s nothing. I’m alright.”

“Sans?”

“Frisk, seriously. Don’t—”

“Is everything alright in here?” Toriel walked in. And upon seeing Frisk, fresh tears still on their face, she hurried over and took them into her arms. “Frisk?” She asked. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“The lady… Undyne… found me. She wanted to take me away. But Papyrus found me.”

“Thank god for that,” Toriel breathed.

“Mom?” Frisk asked. “What’s the… connection… between monsters and beasts?”

Toriel tensed up briefly before sighing. “You’d have to know eventually,” she finally said. “Come on, to my room.”

The master bedroom was fairly large, with a large queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. Toriel set Frisk down on the bed and sat down herself. “Alright… you know about chicken pox, right?”

“Mmhm. I got a… shot for it.”

“Well, when a person gets chicken pox, they also get another virus called shingles.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“It mostly happens in older people. They have it for a while before symptoms start to show. And even though they have it, they can’t pass the shingles virus to another person.”

Frisk started connecting the dots. “so… the Plague was like chicken pox?”

“Essentially. It turned us into monsters and then died out. But there was a secondary virus as well. And with time, it mutates a monster further. Into a beast.”

“…All the beasts used to be like you?”

Toriel nodded. “It’s why we don’t kill them. We scare them away.”

“So why is Sans… almost one?”

“Did Undyne say that?” A nod.

“Some research has… found that things such as stress, depressed mood, and general hopelessness can speed the process of turning.”

“But Sans doesn’t look sad.”

“Some people are really good at hiding it, my child. But don’t worry. I’m sure Sans is going to be alright. She was probably just trying to scare Papyrus. Okay?”

Frisk nodded, but they really weren’t sure if they believed Toriel’s explanation. She had been there and seen how it actually took Papyrus aback, like it was a real threat. And how Sans reacted, nervous, trying to change the subject, glancing towards his brother in worry. As if he knew that he really was close to… turning.

Nevertheless, Toriel hugged them. “It’s going to be okay, my child,” she said soothingly. “We’ll keep you safe. But don’t leave the house by yourself, okay?” Frisk nodded again. “Good. I’ll be making lunch soon. Why don’t you spend time with Sans and Papyrus?”

Frisk stood up and returned to the front room where the brothers were. No one said anything as Frisk walked up to the couch and wedged themself between the two. Nothing at all.


End file.
